Behind the Veil

Mac didn't want me.

It was obvious from the first moment we felt the bond between us, I knew it from the first time he stared into my eyes without any emotion. There was no room for me in his heart.

When I was much younger, I would sit in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection as my mother combed my hair, softly narrating her love story, how she met my father, her mate, all over again as I smiled at her reflection in the mirror, this was our routine, and she had told me the story of how she met my father a million times, yet every time it felt just as special to me, just as brand new as she brushed my hair and whispered the tale all over again with tears filling my eyes as she smiled down at me.

It was apparent who her love belonged to, but I knew it also belonged to me, even though not as intently as it did to my father.

I was lucky to live their love, and even though she eventually faded into nothing but a memory, I lived my life waiting for that one-moment love to find me and capture me the way it captured my mother, completely, wholly, totally, and without any hesitation at all.

Mac was supposed to be my forever love, I didn't know much of what went on in the moon goddess head, but I knew one thing, we were meant to be heads over heels for each other.

Over the years, I had watched and observed as my sisters got paired with their mates, each one of them swearing their heart beats a thousand times at the presence of him; I mean, I could see the passion in their eyes as they stared at each other, It was hard to miss the lovey eyes and the touches they snuck when they felt no one was looking.

But when I looked at Mac, I saw no passion in his eyes, no hunger, no lust, no feeling towards me, he was definitely not trying to touch me either and instead he stared at me like I was nothing but an obstruction, a look of nonchalance and belittlement that scared me completely. Like I was some insignificant girl and not his mate, a look I had gotten too familiar with seeing among my sisters; being the last born with so many years between us, I could understand that my sisters and I were not in the same world.

But not my mate, the one who was supposed to be my person, and yet, my mate didn't want me; I can't think of a more cruel fate than that.

“Earth to Fiona,” Amanda snapped her fingers before my eyes, we were doing the laundry, and I had zoned out again; how typical.

“ Do you think I should try seducing him? I mean, that could help his emotions show more” I bit my fingers, looking hopefully at my sister.

“We've gone over this Fi. If he wants you, he will show you; you don't have to work for anything; he is probably just processing things in his head right now.”

“ I don't know, Amanda, you didn't see the way he looked at me like I was the most boring thing on earth. What if he doesn't want me? What would I do with a mate I am destined to love for a thousand years?”

“ Come on, Fi, I don't have all the answers, but I'm pretty sure the moon goddess does, so trust her, okay? Now let's get to work or would you rather I retell the tale of how I met Rein’ she smiled mischievously.

I spread my two palms across my face, mortified. ‘Not again, Amanda.’

She chuckled, shaking her head, and we returned to folding the laundry while my mind wandered away.

“ You know, it was surprising for the both of you to find out like that; it must be a bit harder on him” She brought me out of my reverie.

"What if he has a girlfriend?’ I finally voiced the thought that had been sitting idly in my head. Amanda laughed, waving her hand in the air ‘ oh silly, that would be so dramatic right? Except she would have to give him up for you duh"

I let my mind wander off again. Sure, we were both startled when it suddenly happened. Could that be the reason? I decided that I would confront Mac in secret and see if anything about him had changed. I had to know that my fate wasn’t sealed yet, that I wasn't doomed and I still had hope for love.

I continued folding the laundry while Amanda gushed about her mate Rein, they had met a few years ago, and it was apparent they were still so passionate about each other; Father didn't want them to live together because he wanted them officially married, although it had no meaning to us as werewolves, Living in this world where we rarely went by our wolf form he wanted things to be done rightly and since Rein was unsettled at the time, juggling between running professionally and fulfilling his duties to the pack, they had to hold things off temporarily.

Still, it was so obvious that they burned for each other that their hearts beat ferociously with the mere thought that they existed in the same time and space.

As I watched Amanda go on about all the things they did and told each other, her eyes twinkling in adoration and love, I felt a twinge of jealousy. More than a twinge if I am being honest, I had met Rein before, so as much as I hated to admit it, I knew she was telling the truth about their love. I sighed. I had just one thought.

Would it be too much to ask Mac to look at me this way? Like his mate and forever love? Like he couldn't live without me?

I decided I was not going to give up easily on this, I had waited 20 years of my life for the perfect person for me while watching others pair off with the love of their lives at 18.

This was my chance for that, the Moon goddess had smiled at me, and I was not going to let it go without a fight, I would visit Mac and get him to look at me with adoration, I would get him to hunger for me to love me and no matter how difficult it gets I would persist because, after all, he was the moon goddesses choice for me.